China hikes Defence spend 13% to $91.5 billion

[Secret Service]

BEIJING/NEW DELHI:

China announced a stunning 12.7% hike in its declared defence budget on Friday, sending shivers down the collective spines of its neighbours, including India, as well as around the globe.

Beijing declared its military allocation for 2011 will be $91.5 billion, which comes just a few days after India pegged its annual defence expenditure at $36 billion.

However, experts hold that China actually spends double the amount it officially declares on its 2.25-million strong People's Liberation Army.

The US, of course, is in a different league altogether. It's annual military budget, which also funds operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, is well beyond $600 billion.

The primary driver behind China's rapid modernization of its armed forces, which has seen its warships now even being deployed as far as Gulf of Aden and beyond for the first time, is to deter US from interfering in its neighborhood, especially vis-a-vis Taiwan.

But just like China keeps a hawk-eye on the US, India has to closely monitor China. The Indian defence establishment cannot ignore the fact that China continues to harden its position in the boundary talks, show assertive behaviour all along the 4,057 km Line of Actual Control, expand strategic moves in Indian Ocean Region and help "all-weather friend" Pakistan build its nuclear, missile and conventional military arsenals.

"Pakistan, we can handle...China remains the real long-term threat for us. Beijing, in fact, actively uses Islamabad to bog us down in South Asia," said a top Indian Army officer.

China's 12.7% jump in its defence budget is a return, after a short gap, to its straight yearly double-digit hikes in military spending since the 1990s.

Li Zhaoxing, spokesman of the Chinese parliament, justified the increase by pointing to the levels of military spending by India and US. "It's true that China's defence budget is raised a bit, but the ratio of the defence spending in the country's GDP remains very low, much lower than those of many other countries," he said.

Defence expenditure is 1.4% of GDP in China, added Li, while "that ratio in India is much higher than 2%". This, however, is factually wrong since as per finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget last week, India's defence expenditure is 1.83% of the projected GDP for 2011-2012.

Li, on his part, tried to reassure India that the rise in China's military spending has no connection with its approach towards New Delhi. "China attaches great importance to friendly relations with neighbours...Seeking peace, cooperation and development is a shared view of all Asian people, including the people of China and India," he said.

But India has reasons to worry. In fact, during the combined commanders conference in New Delhi a few months ago, the military top brass had urged the political leadership to factor China's ever-expanding trans border, cyber and space-warfare military capabilities into India's national security matrix.

Even a normally cautious defence minister AK Antony holds that China is showing "increasing assertiveness" and India cannot afford to relax its guard.



Times OF India
[video]http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-hikes-defence-spend-13-to-915-billion/articleshow/7627730.cms[/video]

 

[peaceful]

1. there are plans to significantly reduce the man power of the PLA. our limited resources are better spent on high tech weapons, rather than some soldiers holding a type-97 rifle.

2. we Chinese will never "use" Pakistan to counter india. In fact, we don't want to be enemy of india. There is one simple condition - the regime in new delhi should return south tibet and withdraw from Kashmir.

3. we will keep increasing spending on defense. india is not going to afford the same. when we spend $$$ to buy weapons, we buy from domestic companies, reversed engineered or not, the products are designed/built in China, every defense $ lead to jobs. this is not the case in india.

 

[BigTree.CN]

But just like China keeps a hawk-eye on the US, India has to closely monitor China.

Apparently India knows that China hikes the defence budget because of the pressure from US. But still they use the non-existent Chinese threat as a pretext to justify their military buildup.

 

[peaceful]

Apparently India knows that China hikes the defence budget because of the pressure from US. But still they use the non-existent Chinese threat as a pretext to justify their military buildup.

Isn't it a good news for China?

When their limited resources have to be wasted on 2rd class weapons imported from foreign countries, when their schools are short of funding, when their infrastructure is basically dying, isn't it a good news for China?

when we spend 1% of our GDP on defense, india have to spend 4% of their GDP to match that, and more importantly, our 1% GDP pushes for our development as all money would be spent on domestic market, yet for india all 4% will end up into russia's pocket.

good news indeed.

 

[Mani2020]

China needs huge budget then india because she has large military to equip and handle in time of conflict.Currently China's strength has become somewhat its weakness .in time of conflict it will be very difficult for China to mobilize army in such masses and to take care of it if the conflict lasts longer .

But due to US threat they might not need to reduce there military and apparently 91.5 billion budget is huge but when you look at the total number of military might than it might look bit under power but i think their actual budget is much more than what is quoted above

China has justification for her huge spending

 

[Secret Service]

China needs huge budget then india because she has large military to equip and handle in time of conflict.Currently China's strength has become somewhat its weakness .in time of conflict it will be very difficult for China to mobilize army in such masses and to take care of it if the conflict lasts longer .

But due to US threat they might not need to reduce there military and apparently 91.5 billion budget is huge but when you look at the total number of military might than it might look bit under power but i think their actual budget is much more than what is quoted above

China has justification for her huge spending

i think budget is over 100bn...and may be double during war time...But still it is 1 or 2% of GDP ...

 

[ephone]

Well, I think india's spending will end up in U.S., Russia as well as European's pockets.

BTW, when Russia violated the contracts again and again and asked india to pay more and more each time for the upgrade of the carrier, india submitted to that again and again.

Even as Chinese, I was stunned and wanted to know whether those india government officials or negotiators were on drugs.

We Chinese would not take those bullsh$t from those russians.

Isn't it a good news for China?

When their limited resources have to be wasted on 2rd class weapons imported from foreign countries, when their schools are short of funding, when their infrastructure is basically dying, isn't it a good news for China?

when we spend 1% of our GDP on defense, india have to spend 4% of their GDP to match that, and more importantly, our 1% GDP pushes for our development as all money would be spent on domestic market, yet for india all 4% will end up into russia's pocket.

good news indeed.